SA Rare Bird News Report - 12 June 2023
Trevor Hardaker
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S O U T H E R N A F R I C A N R A R E B I R D N E W S R E P O R T | |||||||||
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This is the Southern African Rare Bird News Report issued at 18h00 on Monday, 12 June 2023.
Information has been gleaned from various websites, email groups as well as from individual observers who have passed on their sightings. This report cannot be taken as being totally comprehensive as it is based only on information made available at the time of writing. All bird sightings reported here are reported in good faith based on information as provided by the observers. Any inaccuracies are totally unintentional and the writer cannot be held liable for these.
None of the records included in this report have undergone any adjudication process with any of the subregion’s Rarities Committees, so inclusion in this report does not constitute any official confirmation of the particular record. Observers are still encouraged to make the necessary submissions accordingly.
For those who may have only joined the group recently and are interested in finding out what has been seen in the past, previous reports can be viewed at http://groups.google.co.za/group/sa-rarebirdnews |
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Starting in the Western Cape, the CAPE (GLOSSY) STARLING was still at Neptune’s Dairy near Cape of Good Hope yesterday. There also seems to be a small influx of LUDWIG’S BUSTARDS into areas where they don’t normally occur with one seen in the Cape Farms area at -33.669, 18.541 yesterday and another found along the Karwyderskraal road at -34.334, 19.154 on Friday which was still there yesterday as well. Further east, a GREEN-BACKED (STRIATED) HERON was reported along the Touws River in Wilderness at -33.993, 22.596 on Saturday and the long-staying COMMON SCIMITARBILL was also still in Meiringspoort on Saturday. | |||||||||
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Cape (Glossy) Starling near Cape of Good Hope © Charles Britz | Common Scimitarbill in Meiringspoort © Marne Janse van Veuren | ||||||||
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Ludwig’s Bustard on the Karwyderskraal road © Lester van Groeningen | Ludwig’s Bustard on the Karwyderskraal road © Johan van der Westhuizen | ||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, a LILAC-BREASTED ROLLER was found at Kidd’s Beach in East London at -33.148, 27.702 this morning.
Across in the Free State, locals enjoyed a single KNOB-BILLED DUCK south of Krugersdrif Dam at -28.911, 25.982 yesterday. | |||||||||
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Lilac-breasted Roller at Kidd’s Beach © Robin Scott | Knob-billed Duck near Krugersdrif Dam © Ryno Janse van Veuren | ||||||||
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Kwazulu Natal’s records included a DWARF BITTERN at Sungulwane Lodge today while the rest all came from Pongola Nature Reserve with a HOODED VULTURE seen flying over the entrance to the reserve on Friday and a pair of BENNETT’S WOODPECKERS found 300m from the entrance on Friday as well. | |||||||||
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Hooded Vulture at Pongola Nature Reserve © John van der Ruit | Bennett’s Woodpecker at Pongola Nature Reserve © John van der Ruit | ||||||||
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Over in Mpumalanga, the Kruger National Park was in the news with 2 AFRICAN SKIMMERS found at Sunset Dam near Lower Sabie today while a GREY-BACKED SPARROWLARK was also reported along the Mlondozi Loop at -25.075, 31.967 on Friday. Elsewhere in the province, the LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and at least 5 CHESTNUT-BANDED PLOVERS were still present at Leeupan near Leandra yesterday.
Limpopo’s records also came from the Kruger National Park with at least 5 AFRICAN SKIMMERS still at Matambeni hide near Letaba yesterday and 6 GREY-BACKED SPARROWLARKS reported on the western boundary of the Makuleke Concession near Pafuri on Saturday.
And finally, in Zimbabwe, it seems that the country is now also starting to experience the strange irruption of GREY-BACKED SPARROWLARKS into areas where they don’t normally occur with as many as 200 individuals reported at Chamabonda Vlei near Victoria Falls yesterday and around a dozen birds seen just north of Corner Pan in Kazuma Pan National Park yesterday as well. | |||||||||
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Grey-backed Sparrowlark at Chamabonda Vlei © Charles Brightman | Grey-backed Sparrowlark in Kazuma Pan National Park © Colin Baker | ||||||||
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Thank you to all observers who have contributed their records. Please continue to send through any reports of odd birds as well as continued updates on the presence of rarities already previously reported, no matter how mundane you think they may be. Even if you think someone else has probably sent in a report, rather send the report yourself as well. The only way to improve this service and to make it as useful as possible to everyone is if it can be as comprehensive as possible.
Kind regards Trevor | |||||||||
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TREVOR HARDAKER Cape Town, South Africa |
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